We all know how challenging it is to find topics that your target audience would resonate with and then work on them to churn out a content piece that delivers value to the readers. But more often than not, the most informative of content pieces get ignored – simply because their cover wasn’t ‘attractive’ enough. And by cover we mean, the title of the content piece!

In this post, we are going to share a few title ideas and formulas that will get your content pieces read:

1. Focus on the value it holds for the reader

Most of the internet users don’t end up reading a piece simply because they have been disappointed a number of times already. They end up clicking on an article expecting something out of it and come away with entirely something else. That’s exactly why you need to let them know that you’re different.

Focus on sharing the value of the article in the title. Whether it is a problem that you’re addressing, a solution you’re offering or a topic you’re discussing that might interest them, make sure they know what to expect in the content piece and ensure you don’t disappoint them ever!

No, we’re not kidding. Canva and Ian Cleary of RazorSocial conducted a small study that resulted in blog titles with numbers doubling the social shares. More the number of shares, greater the number of readers you get – pretty simple math, right?

3. Make use of storytelling please!

Most readers tend to drop off at less than 50% of the content piece. The number one reason for this being not getting hooked to what’s offered to them. They lose interest quickly when the writer makes use of a general and monotonous informative tone. Well if that is what they wanted, wouldn’t they rather read a history book?

It is important to keep your readers hooked to the content piece – starting from the title itself! Try to create a storyline in the title you create. It will set the tone of the piece and also let your target audience know what to expect from it. Storytelling always works!

4. Keywords are important – don’t miss them

We agree that while creating interesting titles, it is not always possible to include keywords as well. But try to follow the SEO rules as much as possible, because keywords are the terms that your target audience is using to search for content on the internet. The closer your title is to it, the more chances of your content piece showing up in their search results.

So before you write down your content and publish it for your readers, make sure it is optimized for the right keywords. You want to focus on getting your piece discovered by your audience and that’s the number one way to get more readers!

5. Using psychological triggers help

Ever wondered what made certain pieces of content go viral on the internet? The meme you saw last night on Instagram or the Facebook post that has been doing rounds on your feed for almost 3 weeks now? The answer is pretty simple – they appealed to the human brain – psychological triggers.

We are wired to relate to things that trigger an emotion in us or appeal to one of our interests. It could be stimulating a sense of curiosity, tapping into our emotions related to a topic or simply something entertaining that we all enjoy every now and then.

When you use psychological triggers in your content piece, they get read more and definitely hold a chance of going viral. If that’s not what you have been wanting, we’re not sure what you want anymore!

6. Tap into what’s already trending in the industry

Did you know that piggybacking on something that is already trending in the industry could get you more reads and shares? Well, now you do and that’s exactly what you need to implement in your content piece’s title.

Set aside time to research on BuzzSumo and for social listening. Understand what your target audience is talking about, the conversations they are actively participating in and where your competitors are not able to draw attention to themselves. Identify what trend is relevant to your content piece and make sure you are using it in the title!

For example, when Kim Kardashian West was featured on Forbes for her mobile app, the digital world went crazy. While some admired her marketing and monetization skills, there were others that thought the app did not deserve the honour. Either ways, the topic remained trending for several weeks.

So obviously when a mobile app related company shares an article that taps into the trend and the question that people had around it, it gets read and shared by many!

7. Keep it short and sweet

While you’re trying to create a title that your audience clicks through, make sure you don’t get carried away. You will notice how a lot of marketers and writers like to experiment with longer titles because they are able to get the point across in a better manner without compromising on anything. (Guilty!)

But the truth is, you can’t just start treating your title as a mini paragraph. Make sure you keep the title short and sweet. It needs to be able to deliver the value your content piece is delivering, include the keyword, generate curiosity and yet remain short enough to be read in less than 5 seconds!

Instead of restricting the influencer’s feature within the content, work on how you could use it in the title of your content piece as well. Like if I was your reader and you sold fashion accessories, I would love to know the 10 pieces that Angelina Jolie swears by!

But be realistic about the influencer you feature. You want to make sure the influencer has a following that consists of your target audience and would be willing to share the content piece with them himself as well. After all, his followers are definitely going to be more receptive to the content pieces he shares than what you do with him.

Getting your content discovered when there are thousands of pieces being shared everyday, can be challenging. That’s exactly why each of your content pieces must have a strategy behind them.

The more you think through how it will be received by your audience, the more it will get read and shared by your audience on social media.

What other title hacks have you tried and tested on your content pieces?

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Vanhishikha Bhargava

Content Marketer at Exit Bee. Most of the times found trying to create compelling copies for blogs and digital campaigns, keeping a watch on what's happening on social media or ranting on Twitter. At all other times, not found.

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